This invention relates to upgrading of heavy hydrocarbonaceous materials, and more particularly to upgrading of materials such as low gravity crude oil, petroleum residual oil, shale oil, tar sand bitumen and coal-derived liquids. The invention is especially useful for upgrading low gravity, high sulfur crude oil.
There are many processes available in the petroleum refining art for upgrading heavy hydrocarbonaceous materials. The prior art process most pertinent to the present invention is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,229. That patent describes treating residual oil by the hydrogen donor diluent cracking method, followed by fractionation of the cracked products to produce gases, distillate streams and pitch. The pitch is then subjected to delayed coking.
A process wherein synthesis gases and calcined coke are produced in a vertical shaft calciner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,517.
There has been a need for a process of upgrading heavy hydrocarbonaceous materials which is effective, efficient, and does not require an outside source of hydrogen, even when the material being upgraded is a high sulfur material. Such a process is provided by the present invention.